Omar Anderson, Gleaner Writer
ROBB
GRADE 11 students at Camperdown High School will miss 17-year-old Yohan Robb, particularly for his sense of humour.
The boy, who was to sit the first of his CXC exams tomorrow, was reportedly stabbed to death on Monday by a 15-year-old boy of Dunkirk in east Kingston.
Yohan was on his way home and was at a bus stop near his school when he was stabbed.
As he battled to stay alive, The Gleaner was told that his teenage attacker snatched a $500 bill from his pocket along with his bus card.
The attacker had earlier demanded money and a cellular phone.
Yesterday, Yohan's family, who live in east Kingston, found it hard to come to terms with the fact that the quiet one in the family was no longer with them.
When The Gleaner arrived at the house which overlooks the Caribbean Sea, Yohan's father Harry was overcome with grief as he noted that his son would no longer enjoy the panoramic view.
"Life hard, it hard, man," he said, as he mopped the trickling tears.
There was a stillness inside the house. Yohan's mother, Iona McFarlane, was still in a daze.
"When I saw him (dead) yesterday at the hospital, I hugged him and cried because I couldn't believe he was dead," she recalled, breaking the deafening silence.
She said she cried because Yohan was never a troublesome child. Ms. McFarlane said that no one in the family slept Monday night.
FOND MEMORIES
As she recalled fond memories of her son, tears swelled the eyes of Yohan's sister, Rochelle, a 14-year-old grade eight Alpha Academy student, who shared an exceptionally good relationship with her older brother.
Prodded to comment, she immediately shied away and broke down in tears.
"They were so close," interjected an overwhelmed Ms. McFarlane, who wore a forlorn look.
At Camperdown High where he was considered the 'vibes' student, principal Cynthia Cooke told The Gleaner the entire school community has been traumatised.
"The students said he gave them jokes all the time, and when they were down he cheered them up," she said.
General assemblies at the school are usually held on Mondays and Thursdays. But yesterday was an exception. "We had a special general assembly," Mrs. Cooke said. "They (students) were extremely quiet. They listened attentively and you could feel the sadness in the air."
Some students, she said, cried openly.
Mrs. Cooke added that ministers from the United Church in Jamaica were present to counsel grieving students.
Meanwhile, The Gleaner was told that the 15-year-old boy was taken into custody after his parents brought him to the police early yesterday morning.
Reports from the police are that about 2:40 p.m., Yohan was at the Windward Road bus stop when his attacker approached him. The attacker demanded money then stabbed Yohan when the demand was not met.
The injured teenager was pronounced dead at hospital.
Yesterday, Deputy Superinten-dent Michael Ellis, who is in charge of the Kingston Eastern Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB), told The Gleaner that the 15-year-old boy was not yet charged.
"He is still in custody," he stated. "We are doing our investigations."
